Campus Farmers Market

Team Mentor:

The goal of this team is to increase awareness, attendance, and overall
quality of the Clemson University student-run, Farm-Fresh Farmers
Market.

Objectives:

Show students the potential of a student-run Farmers Market as compared to other volunteer-run Farmers Markets.

Learning more efficient ways of hosting a market and new methods to
advertise in order to increase both buyer and vendor participation.

The Farm-Fresh Farmers Market was created in 2009 with the purpose of
bringing local farmers onto campus. The market was originally funded by
a one-time grant of $10,000 from the South Carolina Department of
Agriculture and is now sustained through CI funds and vendor fees. Each
semester, the team plans and hosts four markets from 11:00 to 2:00 on
Tuesdays. In the Spring 2012 we relocated from Johnstone Meadows to Cox
Plaza, which is in front of the Union Rec Center.

Along with planning and hosting the markets students participate in
classroom discussions and each week complete a classroom assignment.
Specifically, students discuss:

Marketing techniques

Strategies to solicit vendors

Scheduling and layout of Farmers
Market

Methods to assess buyer and seller satisfaction with
each market

Most classroom activities require additional work outside
of the designated classroom meeting time so students are asked to
dedicate between two and three hours each week to this CI team. Students learn how to work as a team to plan, execute, and evaluate
each of the four weekly markets.